Open Doors asks us to pray.

These are just four cases out of tens or even hundreds. We must pray!
These are just four cases out of tens or even hundreds. We must pray!

Reports of kidnappings and the forced conversion of Christian girls to Islam are common among Egypt's Coptic community. Only three months ago, Theresa Ghattas Kamal, missing since 6 January and feared kidnapped by a Muslim man, was found living with a Muslim family. Wearing the full veil, she told her brother that she had 'found the right path' - Islam. Please pray for these girls and remember the ones who go unnoticed.

Name: Ingy Nagy Edwar
Age: 19
Disappeared: 27 Sept 2003
Ingy (top, right) disappeared the day after her 19th birthday. She was reportedly being held against her will by a Muslim couple, near Cairo, but police showed her family an alleged signed declaration of conversion to Islam.
At a hearing on the girl's case, Ingy appeared in court dressed in an Islamic veil.
Her family believe she was being given drugs affecting her moods, and her brother said she had spoken of suicidal thoughts.

Name: Marianna Rezk Shafik Attallah
Age: 20
Disappeared: 30 May 2005
Marianna (bottom, left) left work to pick up a patient's blood sample but has not been seen since.
The owner of the business next door told her fiancé that a Muslim employee of his had kidnapped the young woman.
Rumours spread that she had converted to Islam, but her fiancé dismissed the claims, saying it was her close relationship with God that brought him to a deeper understanding of his own Christian faith.

Name: Heba Nabil Narouz Ghali
Age: 21
Disappeared: 28 September 2005
Heba (bottom, right) was last seen leaving work at a hypermarket in a suburb of Cairo. Staff said she had left as usual on the bus but later claimed she had resigned.
Five days later the family received a letter stating that Heba had eloped with a Muslim man but when they contacted the man, he denied any knowledge of her whereabouts.
The next day, a police source told Nabil Ghali that his daughter had converted to Islam.
On 13 November, he acquired a copy of Heba's conversion certificate, dated 28 September.

Name: Theresa Ghattas Kamal
Age: 19
Disappeared:3 January 2006
Three weeks after she went missing, Theresa (top, left) called her family, saying she was imprisoned in a Cairo apartment facing pressure to convert to Islam.
Theresa's brother eventually found her living with a Muslim family. He was allowed to visit on 23 March when he sat with her for 90 minutes.
She spoke only once to say, "I have converted to Islam. I have found the right path."
Theresa's family insist that she was kidnapped, but some Christian girls romanced by young Muslim men voluntarily leave their families and convert to Islam to escape poverty and unhappy family situations. CR

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.